United Nations Common System Resolutions

A/RES/79/252A-BView PDF

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 147 United Nations common system, published in 2024.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

1 entity

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Subprogramme 2	Human resources management	10

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

1 entity

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Subprogramme 2	Human resources management	10	—

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

What subjects does this mandate have?

5 subjects

Coordination Within UN System International Civil Service Personnel Management Salaries and Allowances Working Conditions

What’s in this document?

24 operative paragraphs

A

Takes note with appreciation of the work of the International Civil Service Commission;

Takes note of the report of the Commission for 2024;

Reaffirms the role of the General Assembly in approving conditions of service and entitlements for all staff serving in the organizations of the United Nations common system, bearing in mind articles 10 and 11 of the statute of the Commission;²

²Resolution 3357 (XXIX), annex, as amended in resolution 77/256 A.

Recalls articles 10 and 11 of the statute of the Commission, reaffirms the central role of the Commission in regulating and coordinating conditions of service and entitlements for all staff serving in the organizations of the United Nations common system, and also recalls that members of the Commission shall perform their functions in full independence and with impartiality;

Reaffirms the authority and competence of the International Civil Service Commission to establish post adjustment multipliers for duty stations in the United Nations common system, under article 11 (c) of the statute of the Commission;

Notes with concern that some organizations have not yet accepted and implemented the amendments to the statute of the Commission as decided by the General Assembly in its resolution 77/256 A, and requests the Commission to recommend appropriate measures to deal with those organizations which do not cooperate fully with the Commission;

Reminds executive heads and governing bodies of the United Nations common system that failure to fully respect the decisions taken by the General Assembly on the Commission’s recommendations could prejudice claims to enjoy the benefits of participation in the common system, including organizations’ participation in the United Nations Joint Staff Pension Fund, as stated in article 3 (b) of the Fund’s regulations;

Welcomes the Commission’s decisions contained in paragraphs 167 of its report;

Recalls its resolution 73/273, recognizes that multilingualism strengthens workforce diversity, welcomes the inclusion of multilingualism of the workforce in the programme of work of the Commission, and notes that the language incentive will be considered within the next comprehensive review as a measure to promote multilingualism in the common system;

Underlines the importance of broad participation in the global survey of all categories of staff in all locations, and encourages the Commission to facilitate access to the survey for all staff members to achieve a higher response rate and increase representativeness of the staff responses;

Requests the Commission to provide information on the policies of the common system organizations on flexible working arrangements in the context of its next report;

Welcomes the efforts taken by the Commission to conduct the comprehensive review of the compensation package, namely the development of its outline, scope, structure, parameters and timeline and establishment of working groups to facilitate the process, and looks forward to the timely completion and publication of the review for consideration of the General Assembly at its eighty-first session;

Underlines the importance for the General Assembly to maintain comprehensive oversight of the common system compensation package and consider its components in a holistic manner;

Recalls its resolution 70/244, and notes the importance of the premise of overall cost containment and sustainability, as well as the agreed criteria of competitiveness and flexibility of the compensation package, in the comprehensive review;

Also recalls its resolution 70/244, and notes the importance of the broad objectives of effective mandate delivery, flexibility, attractiveness, coherence, transparency, cost-effectiveness, stability and predictability in the comprehensive review;

Requests the Commission, with regard to the comprehensive review, to consider the totality of the benefits package and present proposals to the General Assembly that encompass all the agreed-upon parameters, objectives, criteria and overall premises as agreed by the Assembly for the review;

Also requests the Commission to explore options for non-financial incentives, in its next report;

Invites the Commission to continue monitoring trends in the organizations regarding the age distribution of the workforce, and encourages the common system organizations to foster and support rejuvenation of the workforce;

I.Conditions of service of staff in the Professional and higher categories

A.Base/floor salary scale

Recalling its resolution 44/198, by which it established a floor net salary level for staff in the Professional and higher categories by reference to the corresponding base net salary levels of officials in comparable positions serving at the base city of the comparator civil service (the United States federal civil service),

Approves, with effect from 1 January 2025, as recommended by the Commission in paragraph 203 of its report, the revised unified base/floor scale and updated pay protection points for staff in the Professional and higher categories, as contained in annex XXVII to the report;

B.Evolution of the United Nations/United States net remuneration margin

Recalling section I.B of its resolution 51/216 and the standing mandate from the General Assembly, in which the Commission is requested to continue its review of the relationship between the net remuneration of the United Nations staff in the Professional and higher categories in New York and that of the comparator civil service (the United States federal civil service) employees in comparable positions in Washington, D.C. (referred to as “the margin”),

Reaffirms that the range of 110 to 120 for the margin between the net remuneration of officials in the Professional and higher categories of the United Nations in New York and officials in comparable positions in the comparator civil service should continue to apply, on the understanding that the margin would be maintained at a level around the desirable midpoint of 115 over a period of time;

Notes that the margin between net remuneration of the United Nations staff in grades P-1 to D-2 in New York and that of officials in comparable positions in the United States federal civil service in Washington, D.C., for the period from 1 January to 31 December 2024 is 116.9;

Recalls its decision contained in resolution 70/244 that, if the margin trigger levels of 113 or 117 are breached, the Commission should take appropriate action through the operation of the post adjustment system;

Notes the Commission’s decision to continue monitoring the level of the margin and to take the necessary corrective action under the operation of the post adjustment system should the trigger levels of 113 or 117 be breached;

C.Children’s and secondary dependants’ allowances

Decides to maintain the children’s and secondary dependants’ allowances at their current level;

D.Education grant

Decides to maintain the education grant at its current level;

E.Payment of amount in lieu of settling-in grant at category D and E duty stations that are not designated as non-family

Approves the continuation of the pilot programme for the payment of an amount in lieu of a settling-in grant at category D and E duty stations that are not designated as non-family until the conclusion of the comprehensive review of the compensation package as recommended by the Commission in paragraph 344 (a) of its report, and requests that any recommendation thereon in the context of the review be substantiated by cost data.

55th (resumed) plenary meeting

24 December 2024

B

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General;

Endorses the conclusions and recommendations contained in the report of the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions.

55th (resumed) plenary meeting

24 December 2024

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

A

I.Conditions of service of staff in the Professional and higher categories

A.Base/floor salary scale

B.Evolution of the United Nations/United States net remuneration margin

C.Children’s and secondary dependants’ allowances

D.Education grant

E.Payment of amount in lieu of settling-in grant at category D and E duty stations that are not designated as non-family

B

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Who cites this mandate in the budget?